Tuesday, February 24, 2009

In honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to do one of my New Orleans post! Cuvee was my very last meal there - the conference had booked the entire restaurant, open bar and all! The place was small that our group occupied the whole space (about 60 of us or so?).

Amazing hors d'oeuvres were being passed around like this duck rillette:(I had like 2 ... or 3). Very flavorful and tender. We only had 30 minutes at the bar so on top of eating these rillettes I also quickly went through a Sazerac and a French75.

Apparently that might not have been such a good idea. I wasn't aware that a 6-course wine paired meal was ahead of me! (No, really, I always thought these conference dinners were capped at 100/person!)

The first course was a choice of two:Course #1, Choice #1: Foie Gras Torchon (apple, honey chutney, cinnamon brioche)Dr. Loosen Riesling, Mosel Saar-Ruwer 2007, GermanyThere was no way I wouldn't choose foie gras! It is not the best foie gras I've ever had but it was pretty good and I liked the apple & honey chutney. I also thought the Riesling was a pretty good pairing.

Choice #2: Blue Crab BoudinCourse #2:Taste of North&South Pasta (scallop + fresh ricotta ravioli, butter poached lobster & sweet corn puree, shrimp tortelli with sauce etouffee)Tegernseerhof "T-26" Gruner Veltliner, Wachau 2006 AustriaThe highlight of this dish was the butter poached lobster with sweet corn puree. The lobster was fresh and nicely done and although both the lobster and the puree were on the sweet side they worked quite well, both texture and flavor - wise.

Course #4:"The Duck" (confit-walnut-blue risotto, cured smoked breast)Greenhough Pinot Noir, Nelson 2005 New ZealandCourse #5: Black Angus tenderloin. At this point I lost my menu notes ... probably too much wine or something silly like that ..The meat was not bad, and it was cooked pretty well, but it was a little on the dry side, although the sauce definitely helped a lot with it.

Dessert: Pineapple beignets. This was served with your selection with dessert wine/liqueur/coffee/tea, so I opted for some Nocello (hazelnut liqueur).This was not really like the beignets I "normally" have, like Cafe du Monde's all dusted in sugar. This was crispy and filled with pineapples.

A very satisfying meal (as I drank the last drops of my Nocello). If you're in New Orleans and looking for a nice place for some Creole-influenced continental food - I recommend this place!Happy Mardi Gras!